


Locker 131

by argylemikewheeler



Series: Tumblr Re-posts [25]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Gen, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining, Platonic Flirting, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, protective friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-29 06:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18219428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argylemikewheeler/pseuds/argylemikewheeler
Summary: Prompt: Will first day of high school, getting in the building with the Party and meeting this kid who's on his second year and has a edgy badboy vibe going on (but still looking cool) and yeah, feelings are a thing? And then lowkey (or highkey, idc) flirting in front of everyone with Mike and Lucas being over protective and hating the older boy?





	1. Friendship Application

One hundred and thirty one. One-Three-One. The number was simple enough; Will’s locker shouldn’t have been the hardest part of his first day. Will scanned the long hallway extending from the foyer, all the gray lockers identical to the ones surrounding them. He tried to find familiar faces, but he was on his own. Will had a last name with a “B” and  _somehow_ was already in the hundreds. Dustin and Lucas were in completely different hallways and Mike was nearly on the other end of the building.

Will found one hundred and twenty-nine, the next odd number being his own locker– at least he thought so. He had no way to check with the boy leaning up against his locker. He was talking to the girl at one hundred and thirty-three, Will shrinking as they both laughed warmly and loudly.

“Excuse me, you’re on my locker.” Will tapped the boy’s shoulder lightly. Will stepped back as he turned, the boy having to look down at Will’s short frame.

“Oh, sorry, sweetness.” He said, straightening his posture. He ran a hand through his hair, the long black strands carding through his fingers. Will pretended to be looking somewhere other than his face– his dark eyes, pink lips, scattered freckles– and focused on the cigarette perched behind his ear. The boy’s hand drug through his hair and found the cigarette, readjusting it with thin fingers. It was perfectly fine where it was, but the boy’s hands seemed to enjoy being in Will’s line of sight.

“I–I’m Will.” The words hadn’t meant to slip out. What did it mean to introduce himself to this boy? The boy  _didn’t care_. Will was a nervous freshman disturbing his conversation.

“Hi, Will. I’m Travis.” He grinned at Will, his smile lopsided but sincere. His voice was deeper than Will’s-- he was obviously older (and intimidatingly taller) than Will. “It’s an absolute pleasure.”

Will laughed nervously, trying to echo Travis and his friend. He failed and instead sounded like he was a moment from crying– which wasn’t entirely false. He had no idea where Mike’s locker was or where Lucas was and he was still just trying to get into his locker. He was going to be late to his first class of his first day of high school. They’d probably laugh at him all the way home.

“You’re  _still_ on my locker…” Will said quietly, pointing to his destination still hidden behind Travis’s back.

“What’s the password.” He asked, still smiling at Will. The girl at one-thirty-three seemed to laugh at Travis’s question before closing her own locker and walking away. Travis stayed where he was, looking at Will with lifted eyebrows.

“I don’t know.” Will muttered, fidgeting with his backpack straps. He waited for Travis to laugh at him, to swing an arm out and push him to the ground. He was smiling at Will and typically that didn’t mean anything good unless it was coming from his friends. “ _Please_?”

“I’m sorry. The answer is, ‘ _no, I’m not doing anything on Friday night_ ’.” Travis said.

“I’m not doing anything on Friday night?” Will repeated, confused by the sentence. Travis stepped aside in a smooth motion, waving his arm out to displaying the locker.

“Great, neither am I. Might I request an outing to a football game?” He stayed next to Will, leaning against the girl’s locker and leaning towards Will.

“What?” Will asked. He was about to look upset, disgusted with the boy’s new teasing tactic, but was shocked to see lifted eyebrows and another warm smile on his lips. “Me?” Will had heard about this before. He had heard about flirting in distance and in practice, but never had it happened  _to him_.

“Yes, you, Will.” He laughed and Will thought his blushing would turn the joke to be on him, but Travis seemed to take Will’s awkwardness in stride. He placed a hand on Will’s shoulder, quickly and delicately, saying quietly to him, “It’s okay. I’m like you too.”

“Like me?” Will swallowed, pointing a delicate finger at himself.

“Yeah. Don’t worry. I’m not pulling your leg, William.” He bowed his head at Will slowly. Will could feel his heart fluttering in his chest and his lungs tightening as he attempted to laugh again. “There is more than one of us in Hawkins.” He was flirting. He was  _definitely_ flirting with Will.  _Oh shit_. He hadn’t studied for this over break.

“Hey, Will! There you are!” Mike called down the hallway, yanking Will’s attention from the boy’s knowing smile. “It’s like a ten minute walk from my locker. I almost got lost.”

“Sorry.” Will said offhandedly, not sure what to say to blend the two conversation together. He was apologizing to Mike for his placement in the alphabet and apologizing to Travis for being as a green a freshman as they came.

“Why are you apologizing?” Mike asked, walking up and placing his arm around Will’s shoulders. “Not your fault.”  Will looked at Mike’s hand hanging over his shoulder, behind it Will could see Travis’s grin, now admiring Mike with its glow.

“How do we know them, Will?” He asked with a laugh. “A boyfriend?”

“No.” Will said, shaking his head– and trying not to hit Mike’s as it whipped towards Travis. “This is my best friend, Mike. Mike, this is Travis.”

“Hi.” Travis winked and outstretched a hand to Mike.

“Hi.” Mike said slowly, taking Travis’s hand. “Will, do you know him?”

“We met a minute ago.” Will answered, piling books in his locker. He still had somewhere to be. “Asked me to a football game.”

“ _What_?” Mike asked, leaning forward to try and catch Will’s expression as he moved his things around. “Football game? You hate football.”

“You do?” Travis said, still listening. “Then,  _gosh Will_ , we’ll do something else.”

“It’s fine.” Will said, smiling at Travis. He turned back to his locker and met Mike’s eyes, clenching his jaw and trying to get him to drop the subject. Baseball with Lonnie was going to be much different than a possible half-way date with a boy. Will wasn’t even sure the boy would remember him by Friday. He was probably just blowing smoke, but it felt nice to be flattered.

“Are you sure?” Mike was almost trying to protect Will from his own intentions.

“Really, I think it will be fun! Jonathan will probably be there–”

“Wait, you’re Byers, right?” Travis cut in, suddenly surprised. “Jonathan’s kid brother.”

“He prefers to go by Will.” Mike sneered, crossing his arms.

“ _Mike_.” Will hissed, slapping his arm. “Yeah, that’s me. Why.”

“I read about you in the papers.” He said, pointing at Will as his expression relaxed with realization. “That’s why you look so familiar.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Mike cut in, although Travis hadn’t admitted how he knew Will. It didn’t take a genius though; Zombie Boy was pretty famous across the entire city. “Oh hey, look! Lucas!” Mike waved their friend over with a frantic hand and a tense face. Travis cocked his head as he looked at him, laughing shortly through his nose as Mike pulled Lucas over by the collar of his shirt. “This is Lucas. Will’s other friend.”

“I can have more than one.” Will said, looking at Mike with furrowed eyebrows. “Besides, I  _just_ met Travis.” He hissed, widening his eyes at Mike, trying to communicate without words. Lucas looked between them with confusion.

“Who’s Travis?”

“Me.” He lifted a hand before extending it to Lucas. “I’m still filling out the application, but I’m trying to be Will’s friend.”

“He’s taking Will to a _football game_.” Mike said, intensifying his tone for a reason Will wasn’t even sure he understood.

“Will hates sports.” Lucas said to Mike. “You hate sports.”

“Then I’ll take you somewhere else, Will.” Travis continued to ignore the complaints of Will’s friends and spoke only to Will to discuss the issue. He was letting Will deny the rejection cleanly and without any shame or awkwardness. “I mean, I’m probably not into the same stuff as you, but we can figure something out.”

“What’s that mean?” Lucas asked, leaning back to take in Travis. He noted the boy’s ripped leather jacket and cigarette with a click of the tongue.

“Science.” Travis said, finally acknowledging them. “Will’s always in the papers for science stuff. Jonathan is always developing pictures from science fairs too. My friend, the locker next to you, uses the darkroom all the time.”

“That’s how you know me?” Will asked, turning his whole body away from Mike and Lucas. Travis actually somehow meant to run into Will– or if not was very pleased by their crossing paths. Will thought he was being disingenuous and looking to smear Zombie Boy’s new legacy across the pavement behind the football stadium, maybe chipping a tooth too.

“Yeah. How else would I?” He laughed, looking at Will curiously. “You in the papers much, William? Front pagin’ your first day of high school?”

“This kinda counts.” Will muttered, feeling the blush spread over his cheeks as Travis grinned, winking at Will.

“No one calls him William.” Lucas interrupted. “It’s Will.”

“ _Guys_!” Will cried. “Shut up and let’s get to class.”

“Gladly. Let’s go.” Mike said, grabbing Will’s arm to begin pulling him away from Travis.

“Sorry.” Will said quietly to Travis, who was ripping a corner page of Will’s notebook off. “See you around.” He ignored Will’s goodbye and pulled a pen from his pocket and scribbled on it. Will could only hold his ground against Mike’s grip for so long. He was hoping for something other than a complete shutout. “Bye-”

Travis reached out to Will, the paper in his fingertips. “Here. Call after six.” He winked again.

“Great. Thanks.” Mike took the paper before dragging Will down the hallway, twisting him around so he faced away from Travis. “Ugh that guy was so  _annoying_.”

“He was not.” Will insisted. “He was nice to me.”

“Were we talking to the same guy?” Lucas laughed, waving his arms out. “That guy was a dick!”

“He said like, twenty words total to us.” Will said, tugging his arm out of Mike’s grip. “He was sweet.” And cute.

“Nope. Twenty words too many. I don’t trust him.”

“And why’s that?” Will asked.

“He asked you to a football game.” Lucas cried. “That’s like, a date.”

“I am accepting dates from men.” Will said flatly. “That’s not rude.”

“But he doesn’t know you!” Mike argued. “Why would he ask!”

“Because I’m nice?” Will wasn’t sure the exact criteria to get a date, but Will was the last one of the group to get one. There wasn’t something wrong with him, was there?

“NO!” Mike cried. “He’s up to something.”

“I really think you guys are being ridiculous.”

“You’ll thank us later.” Lucas said, shoving Will forward and into their history class. “Disaster  _avoided_.”

Will huffed and shouldered the boys’ grips off of his shoulders. Will didn’t want to believe that his friends were right; it was a strong possibility, but he liked living with the thought that he had made a friend within moments of walking in the door of high school. That he had met someone who knew him from his favorite hobbies, not from an article and horrible nickname that ruined his previous year of schooling. Travis seemed to be genuine and kind, showing the kind of instant pull that Will had seen with Eleven and Mike, with Lucas and Max. It seemed fair to Will; he was allowed to have crushes too.

Will sat down in the front row, Mike taking the seat to his left and Lucas to his right. They sandwiched him, still muttering about how lucky he was that they were there to save him. Will rolled his eyes and opened his notebook, the first page torn and its missing piece still gripped in Mike’s hand. He’d have no luck getting it back unless he pried Mike’s fingers open. Will ran his fingers over the torn paper, wishing he had seen some of the numbers before Mike intervened.

“Excuse me, boys.” Will’s head shot up, his hands covering the missing corner, as if the numbers were still there. Will gulped down his sheepish smile and creeping blush. “Is that seat behind William taken?”

“N–No.” Will said, turning to wave a hand out. “It’s all yours.”

“Excellent.” Travis smiled, slipping between them and sitting in the desk behind Will. “I’ve got the perfect seat.”

On either side of Will, he could hear grumbling, groaning, and the ever so subtle sound of paper crumpling in Mike’s hand. He could feel the heat of their glares passing him and landing on Travis– although the heat might have just been from the flush crawling up his face. His friends were boiling as Travis resting his feet on the back of Will’s chair, hand touching Will’s shoulder as he asked if it bothered him. The hand retracted, dragging over Will’s shirt and past his collar as it rested back on his desk. Travis was silent as Mike and Lucas began leaning back into Will.

“What a creep!” Mike insisted. “Stop letting him flirt with you!” Will rolled his eyes at the idea and reached back to scratch his neck. Lucas agreed with Mike, Will ignored them both, trying to flatten his shirt tag.

“Honestly, Will. From what I’ve heard everyone say about high school, you can’t trust anyone the first week.” Lucas said sternly. “I mean, remember what Mr. Clarke told us happened to him?” Will didn’t, but he nodded his head to silence them.

He grabbed at his shirt tag, the usually stiff material folding in his fingers with ease. It crumpled, like paper. Will hid Travis’s note tightly in his hand, sliding it down to his lap without the other boys noticing. Mike repeated that they didn’t know him, therefore could not trust him. Will knew Mike was right, at least in some way, but after six that night, Will would know Travis a little bit more. He’d call him and they’d talk and laugh and Will would hide in his kitchen with the phone so no one heard him talking to a new boy on the phone and he’d feel normal. He’d have a crush and maybe go on a weird first date. He’d learn to flirt. He’d let high school  _change_ him; he always wanted to like football anyway.


	2. Own Goddamn Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: There's a new student in Hawkins high school and Will spends more time with this person because they're gay too, and they Will accept himself the way he is!! And Mike gets really jealous bc of that and tells Will that he LIKES him (who would've guessed?!!)

Travis Hanley was, by Mike’s standards, the  _gayest_ person he had ever met. That wasn’t a bad thing, of course not, but it was an observation that could be made by anyone within seconds of meeting him. Not for any other reason than he’d tell them out right. He practically added it on after his name as a title:  _Travis Hanley, Homosexual_. Mike had never met anyone like him, none of them had. Especially not Will.

Mike shouldn’t have been surprised that Will would take to Travis– they had a lot more things in common, things Mike just didn’t understand. Mike shouldn’t have been surprised they’d be friends. But dammit, Mike was very surprised by how angry it made him whenever Will couldn’t hang out because he was with Travis. He wasn’t his boyfriend. Or, that’s what Will told them. Mike didn’t think he’d lie about it… Mike didn’t think he could take it.

Mike tried to confront the curling in his stomach at lunch, sitting outside on the benches. Will and Travis were already sitting down, on the same side of the table although they were the only ones there. Mike sat across from them, like he was being interrogated.

“Hey guys.” Mike said almost to himself, opening his lunchbox.

“Hey!” Will grinned, looking up from the table. They were both reading the same magazine. “How’s your day been?”

“Fine.” He said. “You guys?”

“Good.” Travis said, Will and him trading answers to the conversation easily. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Uh, nothing probably.” Mike shrugged. “You want to do something, Will?” He looked directly at him despite being asked by Travis.

“Can’t.” He sighed. “Travis is taking me and Jonathan to a concert!”

“You and your brother?” Mike asked, eyebrows furrowed. “To see what?”

“The Clash.” Travis answered, grinning. “My uncle works at a radio station and was able to get me some tickets, and I remembered Will’s a fan.” Will was, but Will also wasn’t the concert type, at least that’s what he told Mike. He had been trying to get them to go together, but Will confessed that the crowds were a lot for him to take and he’d rather just lay on Mike’s floor with his cassette collection.

Mike pretended his stomach didn’t drop as Will grinned at Travis. Maybe Mike just wasn’t someone he wanted to go with. Mike could be okay with that. He’d have to be. Will wasn’t his best friend, he guessed.

“Have fun!” Mike grinned at them although avoiding making eye contact. He decided speaking to his lunch would be far less painful. “That sounds like the best time.” Mike was sure it would be; Will when he listened to music was an other worldly experience. He would close his eyes and hum or dance as if he was the only one in the room. Mike didn’t mind being ignored if it was for Wham!.

The lunch passed without another word from Mike, but a steady conversation being carried between Will and Travis. Before the lunch bell rang, Mike excused himself, hoping to miss any more displays of friendship he found unreasonably disgusting that day. On his way to his locker, he passed Lucas and Max. He was hoping to be left alone, but they spotted him and followed him to his locker.

“What’s wrong with you?” Max asked directly. “You look like you want to break something.”

“I do not.”

“You kinda do.” Lucas agreed. He shrugged as Mike glared at him, knowing that admitting it wasn’t what Mike wanted to hear, but it was still right. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Just talking to Will and Travis.” Mike sighed, sliding his lock around between his thumb and forefinger.

“Are they dating yet?” Max asked, leaning on the locker beside Mike’s.

“They  _aren’t_ dating.” Mike argued, sounding far more angry than he thought he would. He just wanted to be adamant. He wanted to be right. Will wouldn’t lie to him. Will wouldn’t replace him–

“Are you sure? They are always together.” Max said, squinting her eyes and scrunching her nose at the idea. “I think they are.”

“No. That doesn’t mean they are dating.” Lucas laughed, although he spoke from a different place than Mike had hoped. Mike wanted the realization to come from the idea that Will couldn’t be in love with Travis– typical, disinterested Travis. Instead Lucas suggested that men that spent time together didn’t automatically like each other. Which was true, but was also all Mike was bagging on.

“Anyone ask him?” Max laughed, rolling her eyes. “I mean, I’m sure he’d tell you. He’s not the quiet type about Travis.”

“Yeah, just ask him.” Lucas encouraged. “We’re all friends.”

“I’ll do it.” Mike said, as if defending himself. “I’ll ask him myself.”

“Okay. Go for it.” Lucas said. He held a hand up in surrender, but slapped Mike on the arm. “But, I mean, what’s wrong with Travis?”

“Nothing.” Mike said, slamming his locker closed. Above them, the bell rang and the halls began to swarm with activity. “I just have to know.”

“Oh okay!” Lucas said over the chattering students in the halls. “Good luck!” He called after Mike but he was already gone, marching down the hallway and trying to find Will’s 131.

Mike couldn’t see Will over the shuffling crowd, but he could see Travis. He towered over Will, looking down and casting a shadow over him. Mike barely wanted to acknowledge him as he approached, putting himself between Travis and Will. Will blinked at Mike, eyebrows raised and laugh on his lips.

“Uh, hey Mike.” He looked over his head at Travis. “What’s going on?”

“Can I talk to you?” He said flatly, backing himself up into Travis’s chest and pushing his backpack into him. “Just the two of us.”

“Sure… I guess.” Will nodded.

“I know when I’ve been uninvited.” Travis said smoothly, Will laughing and waving to him as he left. His smile remained as he walked down the hall, his attention not dropping to Mike until he was out of the hall.

“Why are you friends with him?” Mike asked. “I mean, why Travis?”

Will opened his locker and slowly began stacking notebooks. “Are you serious? Don’t make me say it, Mike.” There is was: his admission of interest, of love, of hate for Mike– “He’s gay.”

“And?” Mike wanted him to say it.

“It’s nice to have things in common in… certain  _departments_.” Will laughed, brushing hair behind his ear. “I mean, I can’t exactly talk to you about George Michael. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You wouldn’t.” Mike insisted, reaching out and grabbing Will’s arm. He let his hand slip down to his wrist. “Don’t date Travis.”

“I won’t.”  Will said, touching Mike’s hand with fair daintier intentions than Mike’s tight grip. “We’re just friends. Like you and me.”

“Just friends?” Mike echoed, the blow coming a lot harder than he expected. He was just a friend, a sidekick, a loveless brother.

“Well, yeah. I did just meet him a little bit ago.” Will rolled his eyes.

“No no.  _Us_.” Mike corrected, his grip loosening.

“What about us?” Will asked, looking at Mike with lost eyes, trying to find a place to settle on Mike’s face, trying to find the sense. “What are you saying?”

“Don’t date Travis.” Mike repeated. “Please. Don’t do that.”

“Mike, I get you don’t like him, but I’m being honest. I won’t.” Will said, placing his hand on Mike’s shoulder. “Are you doing okay?” Will’s hand was warm against his shoulder, firm and confident. It was the closest they been in weeks. It wasn’t until Will touched him that Mike knew he was hurting before; the relief was immediate and the absence only grew larger as his hand pulled away.

“Let me take you out this weekend.” Mike said suddenly, grabbing Will’s hand gently before it reached his side. “On a real date.”

“Mike, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Will asked quietly, twisting his hand to rest comfortably against Mike’s. The hallway’s crowd was thinning and they weren’t being hidden by swarms of students.

“Don’t go out with Travis. Go out with me.” Mike squeezed Will’s hand and brushed his thumb over the top of his hand. Will broke into a sheepish smile, a blush growing on his face the way Mike never thought it would. He was bashful and flattered and not at all looking anywhere except Mike’s face. Will hadn’t lied and Mike had absolutely nothing to be jealous of– although the end result was a sight to behold.

“I’m free Sunday afternoon.” Will whispered, closing his locker and placing his hand on Mike’s chest as he went to pass and get to class. “Pick me up at six. I’ll bring that mixtape you like. We’ll have our own concert.”

“I’d like that.” Mike said, even though Will was already down the hallway.

He watched Will go towards his classroom, greeting Travis again as they met outside the doorway. Will placed a hand on Travis’s arm and began talking quickly about something, the both of them laughing. Mike watched without jealousy and with a final sense of happiness– it was good Will had friends that supported him and wanted him to be happy. Mike felt his grudge for Travis melt away; he wasn’t interrupting anything. Mike was just getting in his own goddamn way, but now he had nothing to boil up about. After all, he was the one Will winked at before stepping into his classroom. What  _else_ did Mike really have to be upset about then anyway?

**Author's Note:**

> [The Rebloggable Post!](https://argylemikewheeler.tumblr.com/post/168795207290/any-chances-of-a-will-first-day-of-high-school)


End file.
